Essay Paper For IAS Exam

Previous Year Essay Topics Of IAS Exam

2013

• Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)
• Is the Colonial mentality hindering India's Success
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country
• Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.

2012

• In the context of Gandhiji's views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms 'Swadhinata', 'Swaraj' and 'Dharmarajya'. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy.
• Is the criticism that the 'Public-Private-Partnership' (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified?
• Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible?
• Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal?

2011

• Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative , economic and developmental implication
• Does Indian Cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it
• Credit – based higher education system – status , opportunities and challenges
• In the Indian context , Both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism

2010

• Geography may remain the same ; history need not.
• Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country?
• Preparedness of our society for India's global leadership role.
• From traditional Indian philanthropy to the Gates-Buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift?

2009

• Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death?
• Are we a 'Soft' state?
• "The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the 'haves' of our society".
• "Good Fences make good neighbors"
• 'Globlisation' vs. 'Nationalism'

2008

• Role of Media in good governance
• National Identity and Patritism
• Special Economic Zone : Boon or Bane
• Descipline means success , anarchy means ruin
• Urbanisation and Its Hazards
• Is an Egalitarian society possible by educating the masses?

2007

• Independent thinking should be encouraged right form the childhood.
• Evaluation of Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people.
• Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man.
• Is Autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization?
• How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets.
• BPO boom in India.

2006

• Women's Reservation Bill Would Usher in Empowerment for Women in India.
• Protection of Ecology and Environment is Essential for Sustained Economic Development.
• Importance of Indo-U.S. Nuclear Agreement
• "Education for All" Campaign in India: Myth or Reality.
• Globalization Would Finish Small-Scale Industries in India.
• Increasing Computerization Would lead to the Creation of a Dehumanized Society.

2005

• Justice must reach the poor
• The hand that rocks the cradle
• If women ruled the world
• What is real education?
• Terrorism and world peace
• Food security for sustainable national development

2004

• India's Role in Promoting ASEAN Co-operation.
• Judicial Activism and Indian Democracy.
• Whither Women's Emancipation?
• Globalizations and Its Impact on Indian Culture.
• The Lure of Space.
• Water Resources Should Be Under the Control of the Central Government.

2003

• The Masks of New Imperialism.
• How far has democracy in India delivered the goods?
• How should a civil servant conduct himself?
• As civilization advances culture declines.
• There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.
• Spirituality and Scientific temper.

2002

• Modern technological education and human values.
• Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem.
• If youth knew, if age could.
• The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
• Privatization of higher education in India.
• Responsibility of media in a democracy.

2001

• What have we gained from our democratic set-up?
• My vision of an ideal world order.
• The march of science and the erosion of human values.
• Irrelevance of the classroom.
• The pursuit of excellence.
• Empowerment alone cannot help our women.

2000

• Why should we be proud of being Indians?
• The cyberworld: Its charms and challenges.
• The country's need for a better disaster management system.
• Indian culture today: A myth or a reality?
• The implications of globalization for India.
• Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values.

1999

• Women empowerment: Challenges and prospects.
• Youth culture today.
• Mass media and cultural invasion.
• Resource management in the Indian context.
• Value-based science and education.
• Reservation, politics and empowerment.

1998

• The composite culture of India.
• Woman is God's best creation.
• The misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India.
• India's contribution to world wisdom.
• The language problem in India: Its past, present and prospects.
• The world of the twenty-first century.

1997

• What we have not learnt during fifty years of Independence.
• Judicial activism.
• Greater political power alone will not improve women's plight.
• True religion cannot be misused.
• The modern doctor and his patients.
• Urbanization is a blessing in disguise.

1996

• Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education.
• Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities
• New cults and Godmen: a threat to traditional religion
• The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy
• Need for transparency in public administration
• Truth is lived, not taught

1995

• Politics without ethics is a disaster.
• The new emerging women Power: the ground realities.
• When money speaks, the truth is silent.
• Whither Indian democracy?
• Restructuring of Indian education system.
• Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation.
• Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.

1994

• Youth is a blunder, Manhood a struggle, oldage a regret
• The Indian society at the crossroads.
• Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts.
• Useless life is an early death.
• Politics, bureaucracy and business - Fatal Triangle.
• Multinational corporations - saviours or saboteurs

1993

• My vision of India in 2001 A.D.
• The global order: political and economic
• He would reigns within himself and folds his passions and desires and fears is more than a king.
• Compassion is the basic of all morality would
• Men have failed: let women take over.
• Economic growth without distributive justice is bound to breed violence.
• Ecological considerations need not hamper development.
• Computer: the harbinger of silent revolution.

 

Qualities of Essay For IAS Exam

Relevance: Corroborative support to your main argument.

Completeness: Multi-faced and should present a holistic and multi-dimensional view of the given topic.

Well organised: Ideally, an essay should have the following three parts:

• Introduction - provides an insight into what follows.

• Body - organize points/ideas, arrange sub-arguments.

• Conclusion - should have a sense of closure and leave something in the mind of reader to think about.

Sustained Cohesiveness: Not be haphazard or randomly arranged. They should all stick together to the central theme and a coherence, direction and purpose to the essay.

Concise: Examiner desires a well thought out stream of arguments systematically arranged and rationally substantiated. The arguments should be brief and concise and write only relevant things in the essay.

Sign posted: Unless there are suggestive and appropriate sign-posts at the relevant places, there is a danger of getting lost. Thus try to use connectors to connect a paragraph with its preceding and succeeding paragraphs.

 

Be Focused For Essay In IAS Exam

• To the extent possible while extending arguments in essay.

• Vagueness, arbitrariness and ambiguity: Say Big No!

• While quoting specific data or general statement, understand the relevance and appropriateness if the context.

• Take the pain to explain and connect quotes or statement to the main argument. Always put the quote in inverted commas.

• Misquoting can be disastrous.

Analytical / Critical Thinking: Independent opinions based in sound facts and analysis and critical unbiased analysis are always appreciated by the examiner.

Explanatory: The arguments, though concise and relevant, should serve to explain their core points to the reader.

Fluently paced: Reader should not feel bored and disillusioned, get the thrill like reading a detective novel, maintaining an urge in him to finish reading the whole piece with heightened interest and in one go.